Is this a start?
by Lightfall
Summary: Thalia reflects on being a Huntress and...Nico of all things. 'Gods, Thalia, she thought to herself. You're sworn off men for all eternity. You're not supposed to think about that.'


She sat on the pier, overlooking the ocean.

It was about nine at night and the water was a dark blue that pretty much reflected her mood. It was beautiful in its way, something that she hadn't realised until she found herself alone and staring out over it. The sea was something she usually avoided, being a daughter of Zeus and all. But right now she just needed space.

On the sand, a way away to her right, a party was spilling out of a beach house and onto the beach itself, the celebrations well under way. But she just didn't feel like joining in. She was an eternal maiden, a Hunter of Artemis. It was an engagement party and things like that were not really somewhere she felt comfortable.

Thalia heard a sound. Just a small sound, a creak made by a plank of wood. But she knew what it was.

"Don't touch me," she said. She turned around to see a boy just pulling his hand away from her shoulder. Nico di Angelo.

He brushed a strand of dark hair out of his eyes. The look on his face was odd; a mixture of concern and...something else.

"I'm a Hunter of Artemis," she said. "You're not supposed to do things like that." As if he'd forgotten.

"You hugged Percy this morning," he pointed out.

She paused. "He's a friend."

She expected Nico to be indignant, or worse, angry, but instead he glanced over at the party. "And he's engaged."

This made her grin. "Yeah." Hunter or no, she was pretty impressed that Percy had got around to it.

There was a pause for a minute. He glanced back at the party that was going on further down the sand.

"So," she said. "Why are you here, instead of enjoying yourself over there?"

He paused before answering. "I don't know...I guess I just don't feel comfortable."

"That makes two of us," she replied.

She stood up, looked at him. He was wearing a button-down shirt and dark trousers for the occasion, but he looked better in his usual clothes.

_Gods, Thalia,_ she thought to herself. _You're sworn off men for all eternity. You're not supposed to think about that._

He was only, what, sixteen or seventeen now?

_Great, now you're thinking about his _age_?_

It was odd really, she still kind of imagined him as the Mythomagic-playing ten-year-old that they'd rescued from a boarding school, in the same way that whenever someone mentioned Annabeth she pictured a frightened girl of seven, rather than the young (and now married) woman she had become.

_They really are all growing up,_ she thought. _And here I am, still a day away from sixteen. Great._

It seemed like, between being a tree and being a Hunter, she'd missed quite a bit.

_That's an understatement! You missed loads. You were a tree for _five years_, and that's a while to be out of it. You missed Percy coming to camp, you missed all of Annabeth's birthdays and you missed all those Christmases, all those times for family...when you're supposed to _be _there. And you weren't there for Luke..._

_Luke. When had he turned bad? Maybe she could have stopped him...maybe she could have changed things. Maybe by nearly dying she'd made things worse._

Nico spoke, breaking her out of her reverie. "Thalia...there was cake. I got you some."

She took the cake. It was sitting, a little crumbled round the edges, in a pale blue napkin.

_That was thoughtful of him_, she thought._ He's nice...NO! Nico IS A BOY, you're not supposed to think like that. _

_But I should say something...no. Thank him, at least..._

She ate the cake. It was delicious, actually. The icing was ridiculously sweet (the way it's supposed to be, in her opinion) and it crumbled deliciously. She wasn't used to things that tasted so good. Hunters ate treats, of course, but nothing she had tasted for ages was even nearly as delicious as Sally Jackson's cake.

"Thanks," she said. "For the cake...and the company, I suppose."

He smiled slightly, and expression that, as far as she knew, was rare for him. "You looked..."

She turned to him. "Like I needed comforting? You really think I need your help? You are a boy, I don't need you!"

She said the word boy as though it was the worst insult she could think of. She turned to leave but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. His fingers were cold and strong but gentle as they held her hand tightly.

He grabbed her other hand and held both between his.

"Get your hands OFF ME you filthy-" he cut her off with a finger to her lips. In doing so he freed her left hand; she used it to slap him across the face.

"DON'T you DARE touch me! I SAID I don't need you now LEAVE ME ALONE!" She was practically hysterical now. He looked pained and he was frowning as though he was trying to decide what to do.

"No, you don't need me," he said. "You are strong and independent and...beautiful." He kissed her forehead and turned to leave. He walked calmly a few steps and vanished. She stood there, in complete shock and disbelief.

When she came to her senses, she cursed him loudly and only stopped when Annabeth arrived to try and convince her to rejoin the party.

Even with her return to the celebrations, she didn't really get into the swing of things. She ate a hotdog and mostly moped around. It was only when she stopped by a bowl of punch that she felt someone watching her.

Thalia turned to see _him_ watching her.

She strode over, intending to give him a talking-to.

"I can't BELIEVE you-"

He stopped her by kissing her mid-sentence, and walked away.

This time, she didn't waste time looking flabbergasted. She was right after him with a shoe in her hand and some choice curses on her tongue.

She didn't catch him.

**A/N: Okay, okay. I know if you read my profile it has a load of reasons why I don't like this pairing, but my house is overrun by plot bunnies. I don't know if writing this has made me like this ship more...but what is your opinion? Reviews _really _appreciated.**


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